Where the Wind Whispers
by penguingirl266
Summary: Remus Lupin visits a past that has come back to haunt him...21 years ago, someone came into his life that he thought would never leave it. No slash, please RR!


A/N: This is a story I have been thinking up for quite some time before I decided to post it. But it has been racing around in my imagination so long; I think it's time it was put to paper. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: As you can perfectly well guess, I'm not J. K. Rowling. Ha! Thought I was going to post the sixth book, didn't you?!?! Well, you thought wrong!!!! MUHAHAHAHA!!!! evil scary music in the background Um, sorry, just had one of my moments.

P.S. In case you're wondering, I got the title from a line of the Evanescence song "Imaginary", but the story is not like Evanescence, I swear.

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Love is everything it's cracked up to be...It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for."

Erica Jong

"One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love. "

******Sophocles**

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**WHERE THE WIND WHISPERS**

**CHAPTER ONE: WAKE ME UP INSIDE**

There was a knock at the door of the study in Number 12, Grimmauld Place.

"Enter!" called Remus Lupin without looking up.

The door swung open, and a short, skinny boy with wild dark hair and glasses entered. To some he was "The Boy Who Lived", to others he was "The Famous Harry Potter", but to his closest friends he was just Harry.

Remus looked up and smiled. "Harry? Is there something you need?"

Harry shuffled over to the long desk where Remus had been sorting papers. "We were going through some of Sirius's things, and we found this old book that has your name inside. I decided to see if it was yours."

Remus took one look at the book and chuckled. He took the book from Harry's hand and looked it over carefully, still smiling. "Would you believe that Sirius borrowed this from me in our sixth year and hasn't bothered to return it since? I eventually gave up and bought myself another copy."

Harry snorted. "Actually, I can believe that, especially if it was Sirius."

Remus pushed the book to one side of the desk. "Well, thanks, Harry. Tell me when lunch is ready."

"Will do," replied Harry, but he seemed in no hurry to go. He stared at his feet for a bit, and then shuffled around on the carpet.

Remus looked up from the paperwork he had started again. "Something else, Harry?"

"Um, yes. I've been meaning to talk to you privately ever since I came here, but so far I haven't caught you alone. May I talk to you now? Or are you too busy?"

"I'm never too busy to listen to you, Harry," replied Remus, conjuring up an armchair facing him from where he sat behind the desk. "What's up?"

Harry sat down, muttered a bit more, picked at his sneakers, and finally looked up at Remus. "I want to ask a girl at school out."

Remus smiled. He knew that Harry had broken up with Cho Chang, but he was pleased that Harry had found someone else. "Who is it?"

Harry smiled. "Susan Bones."

"Harry, that's wonderful," said Remus, smiling even more broadly. "She's a fine girl. And her aunt is an old friend of mine."

"Yes," said Harry, "and that's the problem. I don't know if she'll go out with me because her aunt tried me last year at my trial in the Ministry of Magic."

Remus was serious now. "Harry," he said, "I talked to Madam Bones after your trial. She said that she had no hard feelings whatsoever against you, and she said that Susan thought you were brave for even showing up at the trial and defending yourself. So I think she'd be very happy if you asked her out."

Harry looked up and grinned. "Really?" he said.

"Really really," Remus replied.

"Great!" said Harry. He was about to get up and go downstairs to check if lunch was done, but he suddenly realized that he had another question. "Professor Lupin?" he asked as the ex-teacher sat back in his swivel chair.

"Really, Harry, you don't need to call me Professor Lupin anymore, Remus will be fine," said Remus with a hint of amusement in his voice. "What's your question?"

"Well...it's kind of a personal question, but...I don't know if I...Remus, did you ever have a girlfriend?" Harry blurted.

A rainbow of emotions shot across Lupin's face. Hurt, anger, sorrow, and reminiscence all flew across his face, replaced finally by pain. "Why do you ask?" he said, in a voice unusually tight.

Harry seemed to be amazed with his feet for a few moments. Finally he mumbled, "I'm sorry, Remus. That was a personal question, and I should not have asked it."

"It's quite alright, Harry," said Remus painfully. "I should have known you would ask someday. But I don't feel quite ready to answer that question just yet. You may go now."

"Yes, Remus." Harry jumped out of his armchair, fairly flew across the room, and opened the door to the study as he prepared to leave.

"Harry, wait!" called Remus on a sudden impulse.

Harry hesitated and looked back.

Buried underneath all the pain in Remus's eyes were the memories of a past he would rather not recollect...

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A/N: Please read and review :)


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